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While psychopathy has been a topic of interest in the psychological field for a long time, it is still unclear which developmental factors are related to its onset. Theories have suggested that experiencing trauma in childhood may contribute to the development of psychopathic traits. Experiencing trauma may also contribute to the development of an insecure attachment style, which in turn might cause the emergence of psychopathic traits. The current study investigated links between experiencing childhood trauma and the three psychopathy domains of the Extended Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy scale (E-LSRP; Egocentricity, Callousness, and Antisocial), and whether these links were mediated by the four insecure attachment dimensions of the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Need for Approval, Preoccupation with Relationships, Relationships as Secondary, and Discomfort with Closeness), in a large sample of non-clinical participants (N = 2023, Mage = 32.7, 70.0% female). The results suggested that Relationships as Secondary, but not Discomfort with Closeness, positively mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and the three domains of psychopathy, while Need for Approval negatively mediated this relationship. Preoccupation with Relationships was a significant mediator in the links between childhood trauma and both the Egocentricity and Antisocial domains, but not the Callousness domain. The current findings suggested that there might be both shared and differential mechanisms linking childhood trauma and psychopathic traits through insecure attachment styles. These findings can guide further investigations in longitudinal research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is a neuropsychiatric construct including lethargy, behavioral sluggishness, and confusion. A growing number of studies in the literature suggest that this set of symptoms refers to neuropsychological constructs such as sustained attention. However, studies focusing on SCT and its neuropsychological correlates in developmental age are scarce. The present study aims to fill this gap. The Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI – Teacher and Parent versions, also including the school functioning scale, and the Child Concentration Inventory (CCI-2) were administered to a sample of 128 Italian primary-school children (57.6% F, mean age 8.81, SD 1.07); the neuropsychological constructs involved in the study were sustained attention and reaction times to two computerized tasks. Bivariate non-parametric correlation analyses yielded significant negative associations between teacher-referred SCT and measures of sustained attention (e.g., the Attentional Network Test and the Hearts and Flowers task) as well as CABI-T school-functioning scale; a small-to-moderate positive correlation was found between CABI-T SCT scores and mean reaction times, as a measure of the slowness of behavioral responses on the Attentional Network Test: this result would appear to represent a fine operationalization of the SCT-characteristic of behavioral sluggishness. Implications of these results for operationalizing the SCT construct in developmental age are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberbullying is a highly relevant phenomenon in adolescence. Making available sound cyberbullying scales in different countries represents an important research issue. The present study aimed at extending previous findings on the Cyberbullying Experience Scale (CES), assessing its psychometric properties in a sample of community-dwelling Italian adolescents (N = 2,112). Results showed that a bifactor model was the best fitting model for both CES Perpetration and Victimisation scale items being provided also with measurement invariance across male and female adolescents. Joint CFA results demonstrated the dissociability of the CES Perpetration and Victimisation scales. Both CES dimensions were provided with adequate internal consistency reliability. Both CES Perpetration and Victimisation scales yielded meaningful relationships with theoretically relevant external variables (e.g. school/behaviour grades, online activities, general aggression measures, and dysfunctional personality dimensions), suggesting also possible gender differences concerning the negative psychological and behavioural outcomes of cyberbullying. This study provides further support for the reliability and validity of CES Perpetration and Victimisation scales, extending its applicability to a different time period (i.e. adolescents) and a different cultural context (i.e. Italy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to transform mobility. Exploring factors influencing driver' acceptance of AVs has become crucial. We aimed at developing a short measure assessing: (a) positive dispositions towards technology (Technology Optimism Scale; TOS); (b) positive dispositions towards automated vehicles (Perception of Automated Vehicles; PAV); and (c) sustainable mobility attitudes (Sustainable Mobility Attitudes; SMA) in Italy. A sample of 730 Italian community-dwelling adult participants (mean age = 36.39 years; 61.1% female), was administered the TOS, PAV, and SMA items. Bivariate and multivariate item analyses were carried out; moreover, exploratory graph analysis was conducted to examine the structure of the measure. Internal consistency estimates of the TOS, PAV and SMA total scores were computed; associations between TOS, PAV, and SMA total scores, and demographic variables and personality traits, respectively, were assessed. The TOS, PAV, and SMA total scores were provided with adequate reliability and showed meaningful relationships with selected demographic variable and personality traits. Our findings may represent a useful contribution to the available literature on AVs providing researchers a short measure to assess different aspects contributing to the perception of AVs, at least among Italian community-dwelling participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the hierarchical structure of psychopathology and dysfunctional personality domains, 2416 Italian community‐dwelling adult volunteers were administered a set of psychometrically sound psychopathology measures and the Personality Inventory for DSM‐5 Brief Form+ (PID‐5‐BF+). Parallel analysis, minimum average partial, and very simple structure results suggested that 1–6 principal components (PCs) should be retained. Goldberg's bass‐ackwards model of the joint psychopathology measure and PID‐5‐BF+ ipsatized domain scale correlation matrix evidenced a hierarchical structure that was consistent with the working model proposed by the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis around latent variables of the psychopathology indicators and PID‐5‐BF+ domain scales recovered four latent dimensions, which were akin to the corresponding bass‐ackwards components and nicely reproduced the HiTOP Internalizing, Externalizing, Thought Disorder, and Eating Pathology dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) has been less frequently studied in adolescents compared with school-aged youth, few studies have examined youth self-report of SCT, and no study has examined SCT in Italy. The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Child Concentration Inventory–Version 2 (CCI-2), a youth self-report measure of SCT, in 452 Italian adolescent high school students (37.8% female; mean age = 15.92 years). Adolescents were administered Italian translations of the CCI-2 and the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Self-Report Scale (ASRS). School performance variables (i.e., teacher-rated grades and teachers' disciplinary ratings) were also collected. A random subsample (n = 88) of participants was also administered the Mackworth Clock Test, a short version of the Attention Network Test, and the Stop-Signal Task. In our study, all CCI-2 items showed adequate convergent–discriminant validity, and the CCI-2 scale score showed adequate internal consistency reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis results suggested the adequacy of a one-factor model of the CCI-2 items, which showed to be invariant across sex. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the dissociability of SCT from ADHD-Inattention and ADHD-Impulsivity. SCT was significantly and negatively associated with adolescents' average school grades, whereas ADHD was also significantly and negatively associated with adolescents' disciplinary ratings. In the random subsample, the CCI-2 total score was positively, significantly, and uniquely associated with overall reaction time on the Attention Network Task, but not other neurocognitive variables. This study provides further support for the reliability and validity of self-reported SCT in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]